“What if the killer is watching the building?”Cyril asked, sounding worried.“He might see Russell go in.”
“Trust me, he won’t,” Russell said with a wink.“I know what I’m doing when it comes to sneaking into places.”
“I just don’t want anyone to be hurt.”
“The only person who will be is this killer,” Vale promised.That was one promise he was eager to keep.This man hadn’t hurt Cyril physically yet, but he’d forced him to watch two—almost three—people die.It had done damage, and Vale wanted to spill a little blood for that.He wouldn’t kill the killer until they had answers to their questions, but he could hurt him a little.
“I’ll stay with Cyril,” Rachel said.“I’ll keep everything under control from here.I have the cameras and everything else.Now that we know who we’re looking for, it’s going to be easier to identify him in the feeds.I’ll let you know right away if something’s going on, and I’ll contact Vale and Russell.”
“And you’ll keep Cyril safe,” Vale added.
Rachel rolled her eyes.“And I’ll keep Cyril safe.You don’t have to worry about that.”
Vale doubted there was ever going to be a day when he stopped worrying about Cyril being safe, but having to deal with a killer who was targeting necromancers wasn’t making things easier for him.
Chapter Nine
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CYRIL FELT THAT IFhe looked away from Rachel’s computer screen, something bad was going to happen.He realized it was ridiculous, but he couldn’t help it.He needed to keep an eye on Morgan, Russell, and Vale.There was nothing he could do for them if the killer reached them, but it would’ve felt wrong to get distracted by his phone or anything else while they were putting their lives in danger like this.
“You know, you can blink,” Rachel pointed out.She took the last sip of her boba tea, frowning when all she got was a loud sound of the drink being empty.She peered down into the cup, then used the straw to poke around.
Cyril shook his head and turned his attention back to the computer.“I’m afraid something’s going to happen.”
“Isn’t that kind of the point?Wewantsomething to happen.”
“Well, yes, but any one of them could be hurt.”
Rachel put down her empty cup and reached over to squeeze Cyril’s hand.It startled Cyril enough to finally pull his attention from the screen.He and Rachel had touched and hugged before, and they were friends, but they weren’t physically affectionate.The only person who was when it came to Cyril was Vale.
“They’re going to be fine,” Rachel said in a tone that made it sound like a promise.“I know why you’re worried, and I’m not going to tell you not to be, but no matter how good this guy is, he’s never had to deal with Russell and Vale.He’s been killing people who didn’t even know he was there most of the time.When they did, they still couldn’t fight him off because they hadn’t been trained like Russell and Vale.It’s not fair, but it is what it is.They’ll make sure he won’t be able to hurt anyone ever again, and that’s all that matters.”
Cyril thought it was a little ironic coming from Vale’s handler, but he didn’t say that out loud.His full focus needed to be on making sure his boyfriend was safe.That would only happen through Rachel.
“I just hate that there’s nothing I can do to help,” he told her.
“I know it’s going to sound stupid, but I think you’re already helping by staying safe.It means that Vale doesn’t have to worry about you.He doesn’t have to be distracted.”
“I think he always worries about me.”
Rachel smiled.“Well, yes, but he knows that as long as you’re with me, nothing’s going to happen to you.That means he can focus on protecting Morgan, which is what we want.I know that feeling useless isn’t an easy feeling to deal with.I do everything I can to help, but there’s only so much I can do from a distance, even with my computer skills.It’s why I came all the way here this time.I knew that I’d be worried about you and everything else happening, so I decided it would be worth it.”She squeezed Cyril’s hand again and let go.“I’m actually thinking about permanently moving here.”
Cyril gave her a wide smile.“Really?Vale’s going to be so happy if you decide to do that.”
“Yeah, really.I don’t have a lot of friends, and the few I do have are here.It doesn’t make sense for me to stay away, does it?”
The front door banged open, making both of them jump.Rachel moved in seconds, grabbing a gun that Cyril hadn’t known was there from under the couch and placing herself between him and the door.He couldn’t see who was coming in, but he heard a gasp and recognized the voice.
Rachel relaxed and flopped back down to the floor where she’d been sitting earlier.“You should know better,” she told Robbie, who was hugging a bag to his chest.
“For some reason, I thought you were the least dangerous of them,” he told her.“But now I know I was wrong.You know how to use that thing, don’t you?”
“I do.”The gun was gone again, probably back under the couch.Cyril didn’t want to know for sure.
“I brought food,” Robbie said, offering the bag.No one took it, so he huffed and placed it on the coffee table.“I’ll grab some stuff from the kitchen.You two can take the food out.”
Rachel was on the bag instantly, a smile on her face.It was hard to think of her as the woman who’d been ready to shoot whoever came in just seconds ago, but now, Cyril understood better why Vale trusted her with his safety.She’d been so fast to react, unlike Cyril.He’d probably be dead if it had been the killer, but not Rachel.
